Geolocation
Airwars assessment
Three members of one family, including a four-year-old girl, were killed in Raqqa city, with sources reporting that either SDF shelling or Coalition airstrikes were allegedly responsible.
A number of the sources identified the names of the victims and Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently shared images of all three individuals. Because Palmyra Media Center reported on their deaths, it is believed the family may have been displaced from Palmyra and had eventually settled in Raqqa.
All four sources reporting the incident alleged that either the US-backed SDF militia or the Coalition was responsible.
According to the Syrian Network for Human Rights, “Marwa Salim al Sabta, age 4, was killed with her grandfather Mohamad Salim al Sabta in Kurdish-majority Syrian Democratic Forces artillery shells fired on Saif al Dawla Street in the center of Raqqa city, June 18, 2017.” Only the Coalition was actually using artillery on the city in this period, according to officials.
The local time of the incident is unknown.
The victims were named as:
Family members (3)
Summary
Sources (5) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (2) [ collapse]
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Four-year-old Marwa Salim al Sabta, killed in "SDF shelling" or an alleged Coalition strike in Raqqa, June 20th (via RBSS)
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Alleged Coalition strikes targeting Saif al Dawla Street reportedly killed three family members; Sultan Salim al Sabta, Mohammed Salim Al-Sabta and the child Marwa Salim al Sabta, 4 years old (via RBSS)
Attached to this civilian harm incident is a provisional reconciliation of the Pentagon's declassified assessment of this civilian harm allegation, based on matching date and locational information.
The declassified documents were obtained by Azmat Khan and the New York Times through Freedom of Information requests and lawsuits filed since March 2017, and are included alongside the corresponding press release published by the Pentagon. Airwars is currently analysing the contents of each file, and will update our own assessments accordingly.
US-led Coalition Assessment:
Civilian casualty statements
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After a review of available information it was assessed that no Coalition strikes were conducted in the geographical area that correspond to the report of civilian casualties.
Original strike reports
For June 19th-20th: “Near Raqqah, eight strikes engaged seven ISIS tactical units and destroyed 15 fighting positions and a vehicle.” It additionally reported that “On June 19, near Raqqah, Syria, one strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed a fighting position and a UAS launch site.”
For June 20th-21st the Coalition reported: “Near Raqqah, 12 strikes engaged 10 ISIS tactical units; and destroyed six fighting positions, three vehicles, three tactical vehicles, two mortar teams, a command and control node and a mortar cache.” In addition, it reported that “On June 20, near Raqqah, Syria, two strikes damaged eight fighting positions.”
For June 14th-20th, 19 strikes were made by French aircraft in Iraq and Syria. Most of them were carried out during the Battle of Mosul, in support of the Iraqi fighters engaged in the fighting to drive ISIL out of its positions in the North of the Medina. The other strikes were carried out in support of the fighting for the capture of Raqqah, and against flows of arms and fighters in Iraq and Syria.
Cette semaine, les aéronefs de l’opération Chammal ont réalisé 34 sorties aériennes dont 31 de reconnaissance armée ou d’appui au sol (CAS) et 3 de recueil de renseignements. 19 frappes ont été réalisées par les avions français en Irak et en Syrie. La majeure partie d’entre elle ont été réalisées dans le cadre de la bataille de Mossoul, en appui des combattants irakiens engagés dans les combats pour chasser Daech de ses positions au Nord de la Médina. Les autres frappes ont été réalisées en appui des combats pour la prise de Raqqah, et contre des flux d’armes et de combattants en Irak et en Syrie.